Dairy and beef feed-lots have been automated by employing mechanical means for distributing cattle feed or livestock feed along the length of an elongated feed trough or bunk feeder. Such mechanical means have included a conveyor belt positioned above the bunk feeder with a feed hopper positioned above one end of the conveyor belt. The feed is dropped onto the conveyor belt as the conveyor belt passes beneath the hopper. The conveyor belt moves the feed along the length of the bunk feeder and a plow moves back and forth along the length of the conveyor belt and plows the feed off of the conveyor belt into the bunk feeder below.
An example of one such automatic livestock feeding system is produced by Lancaster Silo Company, Lancaster, Pa.
One of the features of such prior art belt feeders is that the plow is driven along the length of the conveyor belt by a flexible rope. One problem associated with the use of such drive systems is that the length of the feeder is limited since the rope pulling the plow tends to stretch. If the length of the feeder is too long, the rope will sag in the middle and may interfere with the moving plow apparatus.